The Hardest Of Hearts
by SiriuslyInLove-X
Summary: Demona Denby is a seductress; a dangerous, determined and proud Slytherin. She's known for playing manipulative, enticing mind games with her conquests, but there seems to be one person in particular who is unaffected by them. It started out as a joke for her, but when this person refuses to fall at her feet; will she pull out all the stops to break him? RemusXOC
1. Chapter One

_Chapter One_

A broom cupboard isn't exactly a classy location for a hookup.

But that didn't matter; this was a one-off. Demona was not after a relationship, for she found them tedious, unrewarding and not even the slightest bit thrilling. She certainly wasn't the type to get easily attached; this boy was just her play-thing. He would never mean anything to her. He was just another notch in the bedpost.

Although, there was one thing that Demona couldn't deny... this particular boy was good.

He did have a reputation of being especially fond of the ladies, but Demona never thought he'd sink so low by hooking up with someone, such as herself. She had always been under the impression that she, being a Slytherin, stood for everything he hated, yet here he was embraced in a moment of passion her. With all his supposed exploits, Demona often wondered if he was as good as all the girls said he was. She wanted to test his attributes, and so, he became her conquest. She pursued him; but he was stubborn. He didn't want to associate with Demona Denby. But she, who was known to be extremely tenacious, did not give up, and eventually broke him. He did live up to her expectations. In fact, he exceeded them. He knew what he was doing, didn't fumble around, and got straight to the point.

It was a pity he wouldn't remember a thing afterwards.

As the boy became increasingly interested in her breasts, Demona found the opportunity to remove her wand from the pocket of her robes. Slowly, and unnoticed, she performed the spell non-verbally. Instantly, the boy's face froze and his limbs snapped together. His whole body rigid, he swayed slightly, before falling back onto the floor. Demona smirked. The Full Body Bind was such a simple, yet extremely effective spell. Only his eyes were moving. He was glaring ferociously up at her. A smile crept onto Demona's lips, as she thought how incredibly naïve he had been.

Demona buttoned up her shirt, and smoothed out any creases, before she raised her wand, pointed it directly at the boy lying rigid on the floor and whispered, "_Obliviate_."

His eyes glazed over, before expressing confusion and bewilderment. Demona chuckled wickedly as she opened the door of the broom cupboard and backed out slowly. She raised her wand once more, and quickly muttered the counter-curse of the body bind. She slammed the door of the broom cupboard shut; the sound echoed down the drafty Transfiguration corridor. Demona knew that this would alert either patrolling Prefects, or Teachers which resided close by. She cast a Disillusionment Spell, and sat on the stone windowsill waiting for what ensued. She heard the familiar voice of Pringle, the caretaker, who muttered to himself as he made his way down the corridor. The door of the broom cupboard creaked loudly as it was swung open once more. Demona watched with baited breath, hoping that the caretaker would discover her conquest, as he made his way out of the broom cupboard.

There was no sound of footsteps on the cold, stone floor, but there was a strange tapping noise. Demona thought this peculiar; she furrowed her eyebrows, and scanned down the corridor. She gasped, as a large black dog padded past her. The dog stopped suddenly; its ears perked up, it looked around, and stared straight at her. Demona knew those eyes. "_Black"_, she mouthed in disbelief, as she stared incredulously at the dog. Her expression of incredulity turned into a smirk. Black was an Animagus – an unregistered Animagus. She knew that this information was priceless. If he were to be found out as an unregistered Animagus, the cost would be a lengthy sentence in Azkaban.

It seemed that Pringle had discovered from whence the echoing sound of the broom cupboard door had originated, for his footsteps were beginning to get louder and louder. The large, black dog took one look back, before scarpering into the darkness. Demona sighed, satisfied with her findings. She waited patiently, still under the Disillusionment Spell, until Pringle arrived at the scene, muttering indecipherable profanities when he discovered naught but an empty broom cupboard. Once the caretaker had trudged off down the corridor, Demona thought it safe to return to the Common Room.

The corridors which lead towards the Dungeons were deserted. It was eerily quiet, but Demona was not disturbed by it; she relished in the silence. Eventually, she reached a stretch of bare, damp stone wall. "Salazar," she said, and the stone door slid open.

The Slytherin Common Room was empty, apart from one person, who was bent over the table, scribbling away furiously. He glanced up as she entered the Common Room, rolled his eyes, and went back to scrawling on the parchment in front of him. Demona scowled at his attempt to ignore her. "Good evening to you too, Severus," she said waspishly, "I hope you didn't wait up all this time for me."

"I most certainly did not," Severus replied, not moving his gaze from the parchment in front of him. "I have important things to do. I did not 'wait up' to hear about your escapades, however thrilling they may be for you."

"Oh... Well, I thought you might be interested to find out what I discovered about Sirius Black this evening," Demona said, as she made her way closer to where Snape was seated. She saw his jaw tense at the sound of the Gryffindor's name; he paused for a moment, before looking up at her.

"Tell me, Demona," Severus said, staring at her through his captivating, black eyes; his upper lip was curling, "why would I be interested in anything to do with that impulsive git? Unless it is something which may get him expelled, or worse, then it is of no use to me."

Demona smirked. "Put it this way – he's an animal."

Severus frowned, disgusted. "You are most repulsive. Of all the people to – ... you chose Black?" he sneered, watching her disapprovingly, as she let out a bark of laughter.

"No – No, Severus, you misunderstood me," Demona said, taking the quill from his hand. "He is an _animal_." She scribbled the word 'Animagus' in capital letters on a scrap piece of parchment, and shoved it in front of his face, before she set the quill on the table, and waited for his response.

"That's how the bastard gets away with so much – "

"You do know what this means, don't you?" Demona interrupted. "He's _unregistered_."

Severus' eyes lit up, and he smiled coldly. "_Azkaban_ – perfect.

"Precisely," Demona agreed. "However," she began; Severus shot her a slightly anxious expression. "I'm not going to let you turn him in – "

"You cannot be serious," he snarled, abruptly getting to his feet, furious. "I have the chance to put that mutt in his place, and you think you can stop me? He has made my life a living hell – it's time he paid the price."

Demona's eyes flashed dangerously. "You know, Severus … I consider you as a friend. It was my decision to give you this invaluable information. If you think that you can abuse my decision, and use this information at your own dispense, you are sorely mistaken," she hissed, as she caressed her wand, which was hidden in the pocket of her robes. Unknowing to Severus, she would be willing to erase his memory if he would not consent to keeping quiet.

She stared into his dark eyes. Ever since she had met Severus in first year, she had been fascinated by the colour of them. People frequently mentioned how cold they seemed, but Demona never saw that. To her, they were full of mystery. And, she knew that Severus had secrets. But he never told anyone, except possibly Lily Evans. But of course, everyone knew that they never spoke after what had happened in fifth year.

"Fine," he growled, before turning away from her and collecting his belongings from the tabletop. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning; I have things to discuss with you." His gaze lingered on her left forearm. Demona knew exactly what he wished to speak with her about. "Goodnight," he said, before turning on his heel, and stalking towards the dormitories.

Demona gripped her left wrist with her right hand anxiously. She pulled away the sleeve of her robes; the Dark Mark adorned on her forearm.

* * *

Demona Denby was the daughter of the aristocratic purebloods Daedalos and Persephone Denby. It had long been known that the Denby family meddled with Dark Arts, and since the rise of Voldemort, they had been avid followers. Daedalos was a Death Eater, and he thought that this was the most righteous path for his sons and daughters to take, and so, his eldest son, Erasmus received the Dark Mark from Voldemort at the age of seventeen. Although, his eldest daughter, Adelia, did not receive the Dark Mark, she married into a pure blood family, and swore her allegiance to the Dark Lord. Demona had turned seventeen last year, along with several of her friends, including Gordon Avery, Slade Mulciber and Evan Rosier. Due to the extensive allegiance of their families with Voldemort, they had since been welcomed into the inner circle of Death Eaters and had received the Dark Mark over the summer months. Demona knew this would keep her father happy, whilst also providing her with power that others could only wish for.

Demona sat by herself at the very end of the Slytherin table, awaiting Severus' arrival. As usual, she had her hair tied back, and wore a scowl on her face. No one would dare to sit down on the bench beside her, or even to look twice at her, and risk being sent to the Hospital Wing. Finally, Severus stormed into the Great Hall; he was furious. "You look as though you're ready to murder someone," Demona noted, as he sat down opposite her.

"Well you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" Severus snapped, as he glanced around angrily, as though he was searching for someone.

Demona snorted. "Touché," she said, as she poured herself a beaker of pumpkin juice. "So, who is it you're murdering?"

"That bloody, bastard Black – "

"That's a nice alliteration," Demona interrupted, before Severus sent her a scornful glare. She took a sip of the pumpkin juice, and allowed him to carry on.

"That bastard had the nerve to use one of my own curses on me," he growled, and upon noticing Demona's confused expression, elaborated, "Yes, Potter has done it countless times before – but this was my newest curse, no one should know it!"

"You know what they're like Severus. I told you before, they're not going to stop unless you do something that might seriously injure them – but then again, you don't want to be expelled," Demona said, knowingly. She awaited a reply, but when she glanced up at Severus, he was gazing across the hall. She followed his gaze; Lily Evans had just sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Potter. Demona's expression darkened, and she rolled her eyes, "You're still pining over the Mudblood?"

Severus spun around, and stared angrily at her. "Don't call her that," he hissed vehemently.

"It's not like you haven't," Demona retorted.

"That was a mistake!"

"Clearly," Demona remarked, "Every time you saw her, you seen it as an opportunity that you could beg for her forgiveness. Thank Merlin you came to your senses, and stopped – you looked like a_ fool_ –"

"How d –"

"I wasn't finished," Demona snapped exasperatedly. "You begged her so many bloody times to forgive you, and she didn't even so much as look at you, Severus. You looked like a fool, and she didn't even acknowledge that you didn't give a damn if you did or not! If she's such a saint, why hasn't she forgiven you already? It wasn't as though you did something unforgivable!" Severus stared at her, his dark eyes unmoving. Demona sighed, "I'm just telling you the truth – anyway, let's change the subject. What do you want to know?"

Severus bowed his head slightly, and glanced around suspiciously. "You know that I wish to join – and I'd rather it happen sooner rather than later. I trust that you brought it up when you were at the last meeting," he whispered hastily.

"Of course I did – but he's getting irritated that you keep pestering," Demona said, her voice hushed. She frowned when he glared angrily at her, "Don't look at me like that, I'm only relaying a message. As soon as we leave Hogwarts at the end of the year, you're welcome – I've told you before."

"But why not now?"

"You think that I would _dare_ to question the Dark Lord's response – you must be mad!" Demona replied, her voice raised slightly. "I do suspect though, that he doesn't want many students joining as it may look like he would be relying on children to fight for his cause –"

"I'm not a child!" Severus snapped vociferously.

"Why don't you inform him that? We'll see how you fare then," Demona said, smirking darkly as she got to her feet. She picked up her Advanced Potion-Making and Moste Potente Potions textbooks, before glancing at the sulking Slytherin. She grabbed Severus by the collar and pulling him to his feet. "Let's not be late for Potions," she said curtly, before stalking out of the Great Hall.

"I would deeply appreciate it if you would not man-handle me," Severus growled, as he caught up to her. He smoothed down his shirt, tightened his green and silver tie, and fixed his robes.

Demona smirked, "Yes, but you would have sat there sulking, and therefore would have missed your _favourite_ class," she teased, and then laughing wickedly at his contemptuous expression.

"Hilarious, Demona," Severus replied, not the least bit amused.

As soon as they reached the door of their Potions classroom, they were greeted by Professor Slughorn. "Ah! Master Snape, Miss Denby! I trust you had a joyful Christmas Holiday, welcome back!"

Truth be told, neither Severus, nor Demona went home for the entire Christmas Holidays. Severus never went home during the school year, whereas Demona almost always did. But this year, she only spent a couple of days at home, whilst she spent Christmas Day, and the rest of the holidays in Hogwarts.

Severus and Demona entered the classroom to find it half empty. They crossed the classroom towards their usual seats at the side of the room, and sat down, waiting patiently for the class to begin. The Gryffindors were the last to enter the classroom; Potter and Black were laughing loudly as they sat down at their table, whilst Lupin followed behind the quietly, a small smirk playing across his lips. Evans walked behind them, clearly amused. Demona growled as they continued to cause a ruckus.

Professor Slughorn made his way to the front of the room, and immediately, silence ensued between the students. "I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, but, now, I'm afraid it is time to get back to the nitty gritty – in other words; work. As you will be studying your NEWTs in no less than five months, we shall be studying out of the Moste Potente Potions textbook. I trust that you all have your copy with you," Slughorn said, glancing around the room, with a gentle smile. "Now, I have decided that to ease you into the harsh reality of NEWT level once more, that we shall begin the term with a small project. I shall be assigning you a potion to make and study, and pairing you off –"

"But Professor is that entirely necessary? Can't we choose our own partners?" Demona interrupted.

"Exactly! I don't want to risk being paired with a Death Eater like Denby!" Black hollered, smirking haughtily towards the Slytherin.

Demona's expression darkened dangerously; her potent, green eyes stared at the Gryffindor, whilst she growled, baring her teeth. "It wouldn't be wise for you, Black, to go _barking up the wrong tree,_" she hissed slowly, before cocking her eyebrow tauntingly. Black studied her carefully; Demona smirked.

"Enough! Mr. Black, I would appreciate it, if you would not make false accusations in my classroom; especially of situations as serious as you have just proclaimed," Professor Slughorn said, raising his voice. "Now, I shall call out who you are to be partnered with, and the potion which you will be studying. After the completion of the potion, you are to write an essay on the properties, and uses of the potion you were studying. The essay should be at least two rolls of parchment, but, naturally, I expect more, especially at NEWT level." Slughorn turned towards his desk, and began fumbling around in a large pile of parchment. "Ah! Here we are," he said, and turned to face the class once more, clutching a small sheet. "Gordon Avery and Damien Woodward, Polyjuice Potion; Sirius Black and Melissa Telford, Everlasting Elixirs; Demona Denby and Remus Lupin, Amortentia; Lily Evans and Karen Jackson, Polyjuice Potion ; James Potter and Felicity Kane, Amortentia; Severus Snape and Frazer Huntington, Everlasting Elixirs. There we are! Now as you know, some of these potions take at least a month to brew, and therefore, the deadline for this project will be the sixth of February." Slughorn smiled slightly, before turning and walking towards his desk, and taking a seat.

Demona glanced at Severus, envious. "Lucky bastard – a Ravenclaw, and Everlasting Elixirs! You might as well hand in the essay tomorrow," she complained, pouting.

"At least you didn't get Potter or Black," Severus replied bluntly.

"True."

"Well? What are you all waiting for?" Professor Slughorn exclaimed suddenly. "You've got two and a half hours until lunch, so it may be wise to start planning out the method for the potion – or perhaps even starting the potion. Come on, chop chop!"

Groans of annoyance echoed through the classroom. Demona sighed, gathered up her belongings, and made her way across the room towards where Lupin was sitting. She let her books drop onto the desk with a loud thud, before she sat down on the stool. "Lupin."

Lupin nodded, acknowledging her. "Denby."

Silence ensued, until Demona grew impatient. She sighed exasperatedly, "Listen, Lupin, I do _not_ plan on failing NEWT level potions – I am sure you feel the same way – therefore I am willing to put aside any grudge until we hand in this project. However, that grudge may be resumed after this project, for I do not plan on making friends. Do you agree?"

Demona studied him; he never once made eye contact. In fact, it was as though he was avoiding even looking at her. He seemed too quiet and studious to be a Gryffindor, he wasn't loud and cocky like his friends. He had sandy brown hair, weathered skin, and he was thin, but not anorexic; he sure enough appeared older than seventeen.

"Certainly," Lupin replied quietly.

"I don't bite, you know, Lupin," Demona taunted, smirking.

"I've heard otherwise."

**Well, this is my new story! I've had this chapter written for a year now, and finally remembered to post it haha… what can I say? Life catches up on you!**

**As always, I appreciate hearing what you readers think! So, reviews would be nice! Tell me what you think, so far!**

**Thanks for reading! Love, Victoria.**


	2. Chapter Two

_Chapter Two_

Demona sat in the library, hidden between two very large bookshelves. On her left, she had collected an ample amount of books, which were placed in a towering pile, and on her right was a large heap of parchment. Opposite her, sat Remus Lupin. Although this seemed like an unlikely duo, they were in fact working on a Potions project, which they had been set the previous week. Demona had thought it wise to split up the project into sections, which were then divided between the two. This meant that the project would be completed more quickly and efficiently. Naturally, Lupin had agreed to the idea (he never seemed to disagree). Demona was currently planning out the method of the potion, whilst Lupin was researching the properties of the ingredients. The pair had complied to complete part of the essay before they began concocting the potion, and as this specific potion – Amortentia – only took two weeks to brew, they had plenty of time.

Demona sighed, before delving into the pocket of her robes, and pulling out a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Reading had always been a problem for Demona; even after a short period of reading, the words became blurry, and the Slytherin encountered a blistering headache. She perched the glasses atop the bridge of her nose, and continued to scan through the text of the ancient book. As she turned the page of the book, she felt Lupin's gaze linger on her. She glanced at him, before raising her eyebrow as Lupin's expression turned diffident. Demona smirked. "Got a problem, Lupin?" she asked.

"I – eh – no – I just didn't realise that you wore glasses, is all," Lupin replied, as he went back to scribbling notes.

"I have trouble reading," Demona admitted bluntly.

Lupin glanced up and watched her carefully, he seemed puzzled. "You find it hard to read? I could help you, if you like..." he suggested lamely.

Demona sighed, affronted. "I'm blind, not incompetent, Lupin," she sneered, rolling her eyes, before she returned her attention back to the text.

After she had read through a few of the books, she discovered that most of the methods were similar, with no extreme deviations between them. Demona dipped her eagle owl quill into the pot of ink on the desk, and began to scribble down a rough copy of the method. She made a mental note to ask Severus later if he had discovered any improvements on this particular potion. Or perhaps he would lend her his Advanced Potion-Making textbook, where he had added amendments into the methods of every potion within the book. Severus Snape was a very intelligent student. He was especially brilliant concerning Potions and the Dark Arts, whilst he was also teaching himself the subjects of Occlumens and Legilimency. He had explained to Demona that it was very beneficial attribute to be able to block others from reading your mind, whilst being able to look into the minds of others. After much arguing, and a lot of persuasion from Demona, Severus had agreed, that after he had mastered the art of Occlumens and Legilimency, that he would teach her. Of course, there had to be something in it for Severus – Demona had to swear that if ever he needed her assistance, be it this year, or in years to come, that she would help. Demona thought it to be a very flexible deal, but agreed otherwise.

Usually, the library was quiet. Although unfortunately for Demona, this silence was willingly broken by someone who she wished not to see, nor hear from. "There you are, Moony! Thought I'd find you here! I have come to ask for a favour; would you mind – " Sirius Black stopped abruptly upon noticing the presence of Demona Denby, notorious Slytherin, sitting across the table from his fellow Marauder. She looked up, and smirked wickedly. "_Denby,_" Black snarled, acknowledging her.

"_Mutt_," Demona scoffed, before returning her attention to the work before her, and ignoring Black's presence. She continued to copy notes from the textbook, before she was relentlessly interrupted.

"What did you just say?"

Demona growled impetuously. "Are you deaf, or do you just refuse to take your abnormally large head out of your arse and listen?" she snapped, before regaining her composure. "I said 'mutt' – you know – _a dog_ – _woof woof_," she said, her tone icy as she emphasized the innuendos. She couldn't help but smirk mercilessly when Black appeared speechless; his mouth agape, and his eyes staring at her in terror. Once again, Demona turned to ignore his presence, but could not disregard the worried glances between the two Gryffindors. There was a pregnant pause, before Demona grew frustrated. "Didn't you want something, Black?" she asked forcefully, taking off her glasses, and setting them on the table.

"It's none of your business," Black growled wrathfully, bunching his fists.

"I never said it was – and really, what makes you think I would be interested in anything to do with you?" Demona replied coldly, before a smirk emblazoned on her face. "Unless of course, it's something that I shouldn't know, that might – oh I don't know – get you into a lot of trouble?"

That was it; Black had snapped. He lunged across the table at Demona in a blind fury. He grabbed her by the collar and shoved her against the bookshelf, his wand stabbing into the side of her neck. Demona laughed scandalously, and didn't even flinch when Black shoved his wand harder into the side of her neck. "_How do you know_?" he snarled, demanding an answer. His face was inches from hers; she stared into his grey eyes, undaunted.

"Know what?" Demona replied mockingly.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Black whispered hotly. His jaw was clenched tightly, as was his grip on the collar of Demona's robes. But she wasn't scared. "How did you find out?"

Demona chuckled, and licked her lips. She raised her chin slightly, so that she was looking directly into Black's grey eyes. Her lips were now milimetres from his. "Because you are extremely naïve and foolish. It was very unwise of you to enter a broom cupboard with someone of my... _calibre_. A Slytherin...? _Really, Sirius_? What made you sink so low?" she whispered slowly, and seductively.

Suddenly, Black dropped his wand, and thrust his hand around Demona's neck. He growled angrily. "You're a manipulative bitch, Denby," he snarled, pushing her forcefully against the bookshelf behind them.

Demona snorted, "Really? I hadn't noticed," she replied sarcastically.

"Sirius – let her go," Lupin reasoned.

"She knows, Remus!" Black spat venomously, tightening his grip around Demona's neck. He was making it considerably hard for her to breath; she began wheezing, but remained undeterred. "Do you what would happen if she opens her fucking mouth and tells anyone? We would go to bloody Azkaban!"

"Killing her isn't going to solve any problems, Sirius," Lupin said calmly, attempting to pull Black away from Demona. Black was reluctant, but eventually let go of his clutch on the Slytherin's neck. He continued to stare vehemently at Demona, until he bent down, snatched his wand from the floor, and stormed out of the library.

Demona slumped to the floor, and let out a heavy sigh, before clutching her neck. She began to laugh hysterically, "Ha! Black doesn't have the balls to kill anyone," she said breathlessly. She tried to stand, but was feeling rather light-headed. Demona groaned, and began to massage her neck.

"Are you alright...?" Lupin asked, as he knelt down beside her.

Demona rolled her eyes, "Splendid, Lupin."

"I can fix those bruises... if you want..."

"Why do you care if I have bruises, anyway, Lupin?" Demona spat.

"I don't care – I pity you."

Demona turned to face him, her expression irritated. "Pity?" she repeated maliciously. "And why, pray tell, would you pity someone like me, Lupin? I'm a Slytherin and a Death Eater. There is a _reason_ everyone hates me – _I don't need your pity,_" Demona snapped, hauling herself to her feet; she was swiftly followed by Lupin.

"I don't pity you because everyone hates you, I pity you because you're a Death Eater," Lupin replied sedately. Demona spun on her heel, so that she was face to face with him. Her expression insinuated that she wished for an explanation. "It's not exactly a great lease of life is it? Everyone notices the cuts, the bruises and how exhausted your little posse always looks – does it really live up to your expectations?" Lupin was beginning to get cocky now; there was a small smirk lingering on his lips.

Demona uttered a frustrated shriek. "You know nothing!" she spat furiously. "But it's all worth it – every single cut and bruise! I get the security that every student in this castle wishes they had; I get the power that everyone dreams of; and most of all, people fear me and I fear nothing."

"See, that's where you're wrong," Lupin said firmly.

"Oh, really?"

"You're just a scared little girl –"

SMACK! Demona had slapped Lupin across the face with all the strength she could muster. He staggered slightly, a shocked look on his face. "_How dare you_ – _you_ – " she said before growling ferociously and snatching her belongings from the table. "See you in class," Demona uttered furiously, before stalking out of the library.

Demona didn't bother to sign out the books from the library; she simply stormed past Miss Pince, ignoring her when she tried to stop her. She swooped through the corridors, overcome by rage. Lupin had been lucky that Demona hadn't even thought of using her wand; he would have come off with a lot worse than a bruised cheek. As she made her way towards the Great Hall, she got caught up in a gaggle of first years. "MOVE!" she screamed angrily; they squeaked and scurried away from her as quickly as they could. When she finally made it to the Slytherin table, she found Severus, Avery, Rosier and Mulciber seated at the very end, next to Regulus Black and Prudence Walden. She threw her textbooks on the floor, not caring if they got ruined, and slumped onto the bench next to Severus. Just as she sat down, directly across from her, she saw Lupin and Black enter the Great Hall; she glared venomously in their direction.

"I take it you gave Lupin the shiner, eh, Demona?" Mulciber asked gleefully, as he nodded in the direction of the Gryffindor table. Lupin did indeed have a black eye. Demona nodded rigidly, not taking her eyes off the Gryffindors. She continued to scowl in their direction, even as they glanced over.

"Need we ask what the halfbreed did to deserve it?" Severus asked.

"I don't think it's necessary, Severus," Demona replied calmly, as she poured herself a beaker of pumpkin juice, and proceeded to take a sip.

"Yes, but that does not explain how you obtained those bruises on your neck..."

Demona instinctively raised her hand towards her neck, and massaged it – it was still sore from where Black had tried to strangle her. "It's bruised already? Fuck," she swore irritatedly. "It was Black – over-reacted when he found out that I knew something about him..." She met eyes with Severus, and instantly he realised that Black had found out that Demona knew he was an unregistered Animagus.

"So, you just let him try to strangle you to death? Are you mad?" Rosier said, "Why'd you not hex the bastard?"

Demona smirked. "It was amusing seeing him get angry over something that was his fault," she explained. "And let's face it; he wouldn't have the guts to go through with killing me. He's all talk and no action."

Dinner was a subdued affair. The group of Slytherins ate in silence, occasionally conversing in hushed tones about the Dark Lord's plans. Demona didn't have much to say, but when Mulciber mentioned that Pettigrew, a Gryffindor and friend of Potter's, had approached him after curfew the night before, she became very intrigued. Mulciber began to explain that Pettigrew had heard of the Dark Lord's cause, and had offered his willingness to join. There was an air of suspicion between the group of Slytherins – Pettigrew seemed an unlikely candidate. He wasn't blessed with great magical ability, and more so, was a Gryffindor, and part of Potter's posse. Unsure of Pettigrew's motives, the group vowed to keep an eye on him. After all, he could be doing Potter's dirty work and spying on them.

After eating all they could, the group of Slytherin's dispersed from the Great Hall, and began to make their way towards the Dungeons. It was most unfortunate, that they were stopped in the Entrance Hall, by none other than Potter himself, and his three cronies. Demona sneered, "You're in the way, Potter. Kindly remove yourself, along with your petty friends."

Potter stared at her ruthlessly. "Make me," he challenged.

Demona laughed maniacally. "Don't tempt me, Potter," she replied sharply.

"Who do you think you are, Denby? You think you can lay a hand on my friends and get away with it – "

"Black seemed to be enjoying my hands a week ago," Demona stated, smirking evilly. Potter furrowed his eyebrows; he seemed confused. The Slytherin gasped mockingly, "_Oops_ – was that supposed to be a secret? He didn't tell you, did he? You see, Potter, broom cupboards are great places for a hook up," she explained, winking suggestively.

"I'm not talking about Sirius, Denby –"

"Oh," Demona began, knowingly. "This is about the other one –" she said, glancing over Potter's shoulders and glaring maliciously at Lupin, "– the one that insulted me. I'm sure he'll agree that he deserved it. In fact, I was being lenient when I slapped him, _very lenient_." Demona stared at Lupin, before turning her attention back to Potter. "At least I didn't try to strangle him – that seems to be your friend, Black's preferred method of –"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Potter demanded.

"Oh, well, this is delightful, isn't it?" Demona taunted, smirking. "It seems that Black has been keeping secrets –"

"Shut your mouth, Denby!" Black snarled, stepping forward, his wand raised.

"Don't think so, Black," Demona replied scathingly. "I think Potter would like to know what's going on, wouldn't you? You see, I'm ever so certain that he's in on this as well. I mean, it's not like you to keep secrets from Potter, especially when this is a particularly _furry little secret_ –"

"What...?"

Demona smirked malevolently. "Oh, you know, Potter …. _woof woof,_" she said, before cackling loudly, "And, the funny thing is, it's Black's fault I know."

"You – You're lying!" Potter spat, as he delved into his pocket and pulled out his wand. He pointed it at Demona threateningly.

The Slytherin sneered, "Don't be pathetic, Potter. Why would I lie about you and your insignificant, little friends? It's your fault you're in this mess, no need to blame me." Demona smirked remorselessly, before shoving past Potter. The rest of the group of Slytherin's followed suit, jeering. All of a sudden, Demona stopped, she turned to face the Gryffindor's, in particular, Black. She stared at him, smirking, and said, "I always knew you were a dog –"

Suddenly, a flicker of red light flashed past Demona's ear; she dodged instinctively, before scanning around furiously for the perpetrator. Potter stood; wand raised menacingly, his expression full of rage. "You dare to mess with me, Potter?" she hissed dangerously, fishing her wand out of the pocket of her robes, and pointing it at the Gryffindor. Beside her, Severus raised his wand. "I don't need your help, Severus," she spat.

"Oh, believe me, I know you don't – but you do need a second," he reasoned.

Demona turned her attention back to Potter; she smirked, before slashing her wand through the air and shouting: "Confringo Serpens!" Immediately, a twisting, undulating snake of fire burst from the Slytherin's wand. It streaked towards Potter at an alarming speed, but before it could hit the Gryffindor, he blocked it with a defensive spell. He glared at her, baring his teeth angrily, before flicking his wand, and sending a spell back at her. Demona blocked it easily. Within moments, the duel became heated, both Demona's and Potter's wands thrashed through the air so quickly that it was almost a blur. Both students were panting as the ducked, dodged, and blocked one another's hexes.

"Bet you thought this would be a walk in the park, eh, Potter!" Demona taunted, as yet again, she blocked one of the curses Potter send streaking towards her. "Crudusico!" she screeched, lashing her wand through the air. The Bleeding Curse was a specialty of Demona's – it was similar to the curse that Severus had devised, which involved lacerations appearing on the opponents body, as if they had been cut by an invisible sword. The Bleeding Curse caused gashes to appear on the opponent's skin, which would not stop bleeding without magical intervention.* The curse stood on a very thin line between light and dark magic.

"What are you playing at?!" Potter shouted, bewildered, as he blocked the curse. "That's dark magic!" he yelled fiercely.

Demona ignored him, and with a flick of her wand, a white light hurtled towards Potter. He didn't have time to block it, and he went flying backwards, whilst his wand flew through the air. Demona caught it with ease. "Dark magic?" she asked innocently. "_Levicorpus!_" Suddenly, Potter flew into the air; he dangled from the ceiling by his ankle, as if he was held by invisible rope. "Well, well, Potter... isn't this a very compromising situation –" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Black moving forward. "Don't even think about it, Black – Severus, Rosier, keep an eye on the mutt," she snapped, before walking closer to where Potter was dangling from the ceiling.

Severus and Rosier raised their wands, and pointed them at Black. With a flick of his wand, a hex flashed towards Severus, but it was easily blocked. It was two on one – Black didn't stand a chance. After a valiant effort, he ended up in the same position as Potter.

Demona turned, and addressed the small crowd that had gathered. "So," she began, "_who wants to see me take off Potter's pants_?" She smirked mercilessly, as she gazed around. The crowd remained silent, as if frightened of what might happen if they answered. The Slytherin snorted, then, she turned back to Potter. "Oh, the irony of this situation," Demona mused, as she raised her wand, "Re –"

"Miss Denby! _What is the meaning of this?_"

Demona scowled, and lowered her wand, before glancing over her shoulder to see Professor McGonagall rushing onto the scene. The small crowd that had gathered scarpered as soon as the Deputy Headmistress came into view. Out of the corner of her eye, Demona saw Severus slash his wand through the air, causing Black to fall to the floor.

"Put Mr. Potter down this instance!"

"As you wish, Professor," said Demona, in a bored tone. With a quick flick of her wand, Potter crashed to the floor, landing in a heap of limbs and robes.

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, and stared angrily at the Slytherin. "Twenty points from Slytherin for unruly behaviour, and detention this Friday evening, my office," the Gryffindor Head of House snapped. "I shall be speaking to your Head of House about this, Miss Denby, for it isn't the first time something like this has happened." Demona nodded, untroubled by being awarded a detention. McGonagall waited, watching the Slytherin as she left the scene. Demona strode past Potter, and chucked his wand to the floor, where he was struggling to get up, before stalking off down the corridor.

Demona smirked to herself, reminiscing the panic-stricken expression on Potter's face when she threatened to take off his pants.

**I rather enjoyed writing this chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading it! Reviews are appreciated, as always!**


End file.
